Energetic Period
Overview The Energetic Period is the period of peak, high-energy Rift activity following the formation of the Rift in the ALICE II disaster. The major consequences of this were the mass importation and exportation of species, physics, and geography to and from the Prime Universe via the Rift. In the end, after direct replacement and importation of invasive species, only 3% of the surface of Terraprime was unaffected- in fact, the massive changes caused by the Energetic Period are the point at which many scholars draw the line between calling the planet "Earth" and "Terraprime." In the most basic terms, the Rift was flailing around the Multiverse like a steel hawser with the tension off. Matter and energy was rushing through the Rift to and from both ends, essentially swapping large, perfectly spherical swathes of spacetime around the Earth with pieces imported from elsewhere in the multiverse. Many new geographical features, among their myriad numbers the Outback Sea, the Cloud Archipelago, and the Great Saharan Jungle, as well as the whole Mauril'k Continent, suddenly appeared- while Stonehenge, and Old Tokyo, and the whole of Malaysia, like thousands of other places, were lost forever. Far more plentiful than those that appeared on the surface of Terraprime were those that appeared underwater, or beneath the ground- the massive and sudden upsets to oceanic, mantle, and wind currents, geological stability, and hundreds of other climactic and geologic factors caused a spate of "natural" disasters - earthquakes, tornadoes, eruptions and even stranger events never seen on the face of the planet before. It is estimated that 5 intelligent species, 16,000 animal or insect species, 43,000 plant species, 19,000,000 bacterial species, and 2300 life-forms not even vaugely corresponding to anything even imagined before were imported, all of them nonnative to Earth. It is through settlements deposited via the Rift that Humaniti first came to know the Thranx, and the Scad- although the three others, forgotten by time, were only discovered decades later in the newly-unexplored depths of the wildlands. The impact of these invasive species, many of them without natural predators, was massive, and did as much to change the landscape of the Earth as all the imported geography. Fortunately, many of these species could not survive in the conditions of Earth, and many of the bacterials and virals were not even vaugely compatible with human biology, so many interactions that would have been devastating never took place. Take the C'xntyi, whose society was so warlike and jingoistic and whose technology so advanced they would have wiped us out in an instant- they reacted violently with gaseous oxygen. We known them now only by the sole devastated and half-melted settlement that was deposited in the Nebraskan Volcanic Zone. The new mineral deposits, deposited (it is thought) from contra-terraside planetary cores and asteroids, and the chemical, nuclear, and quantum interactions between them was responible for adding hundreds of ores to the crust of Terraprime previously dreampt of only in an engineer's wet dream. Aside from the rather mundane uses- Erythrium greatly enhanced the resolution holographic-projector pigments, and Apollonium was used in, of all things, synthetic fabrics- the development of technology and materials science was greatly aided especially by the discovery of Unobtainium, Feynmannium, Heisenbergium, Paulium, Forresterium, and Newtonium. It was these valuable, superdense minerals that would make the development of gravitonic circuitry, and ultimately all of Rift technology, possible. Millions of years of civilization had never been able to appreciably alter the cloud-swirled sphere with it's familiar green shapes against a backdrop of blue. No matter how catastrophic a disaster was, or how wonderful a reformation was, when seen from orbit the changes were almost imperceptible. But the Energetic Period changed that. In the word of one Aresprime immigrant looking back on the world that had been his home not twelve years before: "It looked as though one had taken a globe, and then slapped hundreds of almost perfectly circular stickers on it. Patches of rust-red, and silver, and burnt orange, and blue-green peeked out, almost equalling the amount of once-inviting green and gold and brown. The shape of the landmasses, those familiar constants, had changed abruptly, and... well, it didn't look like Earth anymore. It looked like something out of a science-fiction holo, or some kind of patchwork. It sure as hell didn't look like home." The disruption produced by the Energetic Period reduced the population and societal integrity of Terraprime massively. Although an enourmous fraction of the Terran population, and the entire Lunar population, either perished or involuntarily Jaunted during these events, Aresprime and the rest of the Solprime system escaped almost entirely unscathed. The terrors and hatred of the Interrupted War forgotten, as soon as ships could be mustered the Aresprime bases sent aid to the chaotic Terraprime of the Energetic Period , accepted refugees, and attempted to rebuild the world and stabilize the massively complex situation that had resulted from the importations and exportations of the Energetic Period. Resettlement begain in 8 PRE, after the worst of the Energetic Period had passed, and Terraprime was brought back to a rough approximation of stability (both politically, ecologically, and geologically) by 12 PRE. The extraordinary efforts of Aresprime in the Reconstruction were one of the main factors in the recognization of the Aresprime Coalition as an independent entity. The Aftermath Though the energetic period officially ended by 12 PRE, the Rift had certainly not calmed down completely, nor had the unstable ecosystem and geology settled, as objects and life-forms continued to go missing or appearing for nearly a century, without any clue as to how or why except that the Rift was likely related. Below are two newspaper articles that surmise the incidents during the time they occured. "Hopelessly Lost, or Meticulously Misplaced?" ~ Newspaper Article from 4/3/24 P.R.E. According to the news and police reports, approximately 860 million people were proclaimed dead following the disaster of ALICE II. What they fail to mention, was that an unknown number of persons, estimating in the millions, were never actually found and more are turning up missing every day. Detective James Masey, a freelance detective of St. Louis, Missouri, said that he has been following up on nearly 100 missing person cases inside of a year following the disaster of ALICE II. "I've followed some of the most skin-crawling cases you can find," says Detective Masey, "but nothing has got me more spooked than this. Every day I walk by homes that look as if they have been completely abondoned, and the calls of missing people never end. I can't tell you how much I'd like a normal criminal case right now." But Missouri isn't the only area facing wild disapearance acts by its residence. Reports from all across the globe have recognized this growing concern. However, to some like Proffessor Maddison J. Kleimer, tens of thousands of people can not just "get lost" and never become noticed again; instead, Proffessor Kleimer theorizes an anomalous disturbance that has swept through and litterally sucked people away at random. At a disclaimer to his theory, he says that the only way to prove it would be to see it happen. Unfortunately, to this day, there are no confirmed observations.. Some cities, like Geraldsburg, Virginia, have been so stricken by this startling phenomena that riots have broken completely out of control and leaving their cities in ruin. Large gangs have developed and "raiders" have been spotted vandalizing and robbing houses and businesses. Fortunatey, amidst the chaos, other cities have grown closer to defend their remaining society. Margaret Elm, from Kipper, Oklahoma, is a citizen to such a city, often refered to as a brick-up town. She stated that border security has increased in her town and that all the people have joined together to ensure the future of their remaining families. "It will surprise you," says Mrs. Elm, "how many people in your neighborhood you don't know and it will surprise you even more to find out how nice most of them are. Though it is miserable to see some of the now parentless children and to hear the cries at night, but it has brought us all closer; and for that I am thankful." In tangent with the mysterious disappearences, pools, ponds, lakes, and even some rivers have been seen drying up almost overnight. Some have even noticed the changes immidiately, saying one second it would be normal and the next, when they looked again, the water would be gone. Some of these cases the body of water only partially evaporated, in some they would be completely dry. Because of this strange phenomena, some towns have begun to horde their water to prevent these sudden dissapearances, or at least try to keep the rate of evaporation to a minimum. For those with pools, it is highly recommended to avoid refilling it for the time being. Whether lost or vanished, the mystery is ongoing. Since the opening of the rift, scientists and researches have been continuing their search to understand the rift and what dangers it poses. Perhaps links will be discovered to explain this disapearence phenomena. - Tabatha Sawyer, Washington, D.C. "Monsters and Aliens and Bigfoot, Oh My!" ~Newspaper Article from 34/7/22 Some of you remember that almost two years ago, a group of hairy men now known as Bigfoot was discovered by Mr. Arthur Stemmins, a farmer of Mints, Alaska. The creatures resemble a very thin gorilla and possess a very similar way of life that is comparable with the chimpanzee, in which they are omnivorous, they hunt in troops, and they posses complex social habits. Their height estimates from six feet to seven feet, and their feet, albeit the popular reference, are very proportionate with their bodies. Their temperament has thus far been observed as non-aggressive and have been deemed safe for passerbies. But now Bigfoot isn't the only new visitor to our planet and, unfortunately, they are not all as peaceful. Great reptilian creatures, retroactively being called dinosaurs, have invaded pastures in thailand; a new breed of insect discovered destroying crops and other vegatation in India; and most peculiar: A new intelligence: The Scad as they call themselves; and the insectoid Thranx; and possibly still others yet discovered in our cut-n-paste world, some possibly exhisting since the rift first opened. With all the people that have and are still going missing, it would seem we are at least getting paid back with the new ensemble of creatures invading our homes. Though I wouldn't call it a fair trade, perhaps new gourmet recipees are in store for us or at least something new to mount on our trophy walls. This is Elaine Trudge from Oracle News wishing you best of luck and a safe encounter. "The Anomaly" -Science supplement from 70 PRE Properties An Anomaly, or Rift as it is popularly called, is a spatial anomaly that many scientists and theorists believe was the cause of all the strange disappearances and appearances during the past fifty years. After the first confirmed, semi-stable occurence in Ireland, scientists made attempts to observe the interior with remotely-controlled probes- which, without exception, failed to return. Light does not pass through it, which may suggest that only matter can pass through. Following this theory, scientists believe that as soon as a remote vehicle passes the barrier, its radio connection is immediately cut off, disallowing the vehicle to return or even continue beyond a few feet with nothing more than its momentum. *Cosmologist Johnnie Hopper holds that the anomaly connects to paralell worlds, which he says would explain the sudden influx of alien creatures and objects. He explains that each of the worlds is simply a variation of our own world- worlds ranging from a minute change, such as the displacement of a single sand grain, to radical changes, such as an entirely different host of inhabitants. *Other theorists believe it is a connecting loop-hole in our own timeline. Physicist James Panning explains that "in a few hundred years or maybe millions of years, if not tomorrow, all the people we lost within the last century may begin to return as others continue to get sucked in." *Still other theorist believe it is a worm-hole that connects various parts of our "real" world to other sections of spacetime in our own universe Though all these theories may all be possible, none have actually been proven and the lookout for more anomalies is on the rise to continue this research. Discovery - 69/6/16 The first confirmed, semi-stable incident of an Anomaly* was discovered by Greggor McNathan, of Ireland, after watching his dog vanish "into thin air". At first he thought it was a trick of his eyes, but from a closer look he noticed a peculiar distortion receding into the distance, as though moving away. "Like watching the heat over a fire, but more stationary," he described it. When finally observed from up close, the anomaly proved to be, according to one investigating scientist, a "perfect sphere of varying size, 'glowing' black, distorting light around it in a manner consistent with highly bent space." Fortunately, the mouth remained in the local area for nearly two weeks before disappearing, which allowed for brief testing. *Editor's Note: This anomaly is now known to have been the Terraside Rift Mouth. At the time, it was not known that these "anomalies" were in fact all the same rapidly-moving phenomenon. World Influence from the Energetic Period NOTE: The following lists are only examples. Many more cities, life forms, and land masses appeared than are listed here. *Global Disappearances of Population *Swapping of Entire Land Masses **Malaysia vanishes **Mauril'k Continent appears **Outback Sea appears, replacing the Austrailian Outback **"Cloud Archipelago" appears *Entire Cities Vanishing **Stonehenge vanishes **Old Tokyo vanishes *Newly Discovered Life Forms Appearing **The discovery of "Bigfoot" in Alaska **Dinosaurs in Thailand **A new, larger breed of locust in India **Discovery of the Scad **Discovery of the Thranx (By Mr. Eldritch and Castodas) Mr. Eldritch 21:10, June 22, 2010 (UTC)